Guide means for webs of fabric during drawoff on flat knitting machines

ABSTRACT

In flat knitting machines, the selvage wires are prevented from laterally flexing so as to prevent lateral contraction of the knitted web as it is drawn off. In the preferred embodiment, each selvage wire extends through a guide channel in a steadying component, and fabric-guiding elements at the front of the guide channel are spaced apart to provide between them a gap which permits passage therethrough of the web margin, but which will not permit passage of the selvage wire.

United States Patent 72] Inventors Walter Worner Plullingen; Albert Ostertag, Reutlingen, both of Germany [21] App1.No. 71,691

[22] Filed Sept. 14, 1970 [45] Patented Jan. 11, 1972 [73] Assignee H. Stoll and Company Reutlingen, Germany [32] Priority Sept. 17, 1969 [3 3] Germany [54] GUIDE MEANS FOR WEBS 0F FABRIC DURING DRAWOFF ON FLAT KNITTING MACHINES 9 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs. [52] U.S. Cl 66/149 [51] Int. Cl D04b 15/88 [50] Field of Search 66/147, 149, 150

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,022,233 4/1912 Goebel 66/150 2,434,782 l/l948 Alexander et al... 66/147 3,250,094 5/1966 Monk 66/149 FOREIGN PATENTS 487,312 6/1938 Great Britain 66/149 Primary Examiner-Ronald Feldbaum Attorney-Larson, Taylor and Hinds ABSTRACT: In flat knitting machines, the selvage wires are prevented from laterally flexing so as to prevent lateral contraction of the knitted web as it is drawn off. In the preferred embodiment, each selvage wire extends through a guide channel in a steadying component, and fabric-guiding elements at the front of the guide channel are spaced apart to provide between them a gap which permits passage therethrough of the web margin, but which will not permit passage of the selvage wire.

PATENTED Jun 1 1912 3.633; 387

INVENTOR GUIDE MEANS FOR WEBS OF FABRIC DURING DRAWOFF ON FLAT KNITTING MACHINES FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to flat knitting machines of the kind having two needle beds and in which a web of fabric knitted on the needles in either or in both of such beds is drawn off the needles vertically downwardly between the beds by a drawoff roller, and particularly to fabric width retaining means for preventing lateral contraction of the web between the needle beds and the drawoff roller.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the provision, in a flat knitting machine for the automatic production of relatively wide webs at least partially knitted on one needle bed only, of fabric width retaining means of a previously proposed form adapted to prevent lateral contraction or drawing-in of the wide web at a location between the relevant needle bed and the drawoff roller, these means comprising width retainers-one at each side of a web being produced-in the nature of selvage" wires arranged at the margins of the fabric. In arrangements of this form, each selvage wire is secured in a holder which is displaceable lengthwise of the needle beds and is adapted to be set in a selected position, depending upon the width of the web being knitted. The selvage wires are disposed in a common vertical plane extending between the needle beds and themselves extend downwardly as far as the fabric drawoff roller. The arrangement of the wires is accordingly such that between successive traverses of the cam carriage of the machine in opposite directions along the needle beds, the yarn being fed to the needles becomes looped around the wires so that the latter prevent a drawing-in of the marginal zones of knitting and consequently enable the web, at least theoretically, to be wound upon the drawoff roller while being continuously maintained at its maximum width as knitted. In practice, however, selvage wires of the form described have not heretofore been wholly successful because it is not practicable either to make the wires of such cross-sectional dimension or of such stiffness as to enable them of themselves to counteract the lateral tension in a knitted web. As a result the wires tend to be pulled inwardly toward one another so that a uniform width of the web being knitted is not, in fact, maintained.

The object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide in a flat knitting machine of the form herein referred to, simple and efficient means for preventing undesirable lateral flexure of the selvage wires with the aim that a knitted web shall be drawn off without any lateral contraction thereof, that is with a uniform width and a regular spacing of the stitches.

Generally in accordance with this invention, adjacent each selvage wire there is provided an arrangement which forms a gap through which the margins of the fabric pass, that is, the gaps separate the selvage wires from the main body of the fabric. The gaps are of sufficient width to permit the web margins to pass therethrough to the selvage wires, but they are not of sufficient width to permit passage of the selvage wires through the gaps toward the main body of the fabric. The gapdefining arrangements thus prevent lateral wandering or flexure of the selvage wires. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each of the two selvage wires extends through a guide channel provided in, and is kept firm by, a steadying component adapted to prevent lateral f'lexure of the wire, the steadying component being furnished at the front of the guide channel therein with fabric-guiding elements spaced from one another to provide between them a gap which though sufficiently wide to permit of the passage therethrough of the relevant margin ofa knitted web looped around the selvage wire is nevertheless narrow enough to prevent lateral wandering of the wire. That is to say, the gap between the fabric-guiding elements is sufficiently narrow to prevent the laterally tensioned selvage wire from escaping from the confines of its guide channel in the steadying component. In this way, the wire is positively prevented from being laterally deflected and drawn inwardly to narrow the web.

The fabric-guiding elements may consist of rollers, balls, bars or the like.

It is principally the intention to apply the invention to a flat knitting machine of the Lamb type wherein the two needle beds are arranged not only parallel to one another lengthwise but also relatively at an angle of about to each other and 40 to the horizontal. There is, however, no limitation in this respect, since the invention may also be applied to a so-called purl stitch or links-links type of flat knitting machine wherein two parallel needle beds are arranged in a common horizontal plane and are furnished with one common set of double-ended needles which are actuated and transferable from either bed to the opposite bed by means of corresponding needle-actuating sliders, one set in each bed.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood and readily carried into practical effect, a specific embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of only so much of a flat knitting machine as is necessary to illustrate the application thereof to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross section through the machine; and

FIG. 3 is a cross section, drawn to an enlarged scale, through one of the steadying components per se.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the drawing, the illustrated machine is of the Lamb type, the two opposed needle beds 2 and 3, relatively disposed in an inverted V, being mounted on a bed frame 1. A support and guide rod 4 for holders 8 and 9 of two selvage wires 10, 10' is arranged above and parallel to the needle beds. This rod 4 is connected by a web 5 to a longitudinal frame member 5 which is in turn carried by brackets 6 and 7 secured to the bed frame 1. The wire holders 8 and 9 are displaceable axially along the support and guide rod 4 to set the selvage wires 10, 10' a desired distance apart, depending on the width of the knitted web to be produced, screws (one of which is shown in FIG. 2) being provided to secure the said holders in position after an adjustment thereof.

The fabric drawoff roller of the machine is designated 11. If desired, a counter pressure roller, such as that indicated at 12 in FIG. 2, may be applied against the drawoff roller 11. The two spaced selvage wires l0, 10' extend vertically downwards from their holders, passing between the needle beds 2 and 3 and terminating at their lower ends at points adjacent to the drawoff roller 11.

The arrangement so far described with reference to the drawings is known, the illustrated machine thus typifying a flat knitting machine of the hereinbefore mentioned previously proposed form."

In accordance with the present invention, however, the two comparatively thick and stiff selvage wires 10, 10 extend vertically downwards through guide channels 16 provided in, and are kept firm by, a pair of opposite-handed steadying components l4 and 15 of block form adapted to prevent lateral flexure of the wires. Each of these steadying components 14 and 15 is furnished, in the illustrated example with two vertically spaced pairs of fabric-guiding rollers l7, l8 and l7, 18 which partially cover the entrance into the vertical guide channel 16 in the component. The fabric-guiding rollers of each pair are spaced from one another to provide between them a gap 19 which, though sufficiently wide to permit of the passage therethrough of a marginal edge or selvage K of a knitted web looped, as shown in FIG. 3, around the corresponding selvage wire 10 or 10, is nevertheless sufficiently narrow to prevent lateral wandering of the wire and escape thereof from the confines of its guide channel 16. In other words, the fabric-guiding rollers also serve to hold the relatively thick and stiff selvage wires back in the guide channels 16.

Instead of using rollers, such as l7, l8 and I7, 18, other guide elements such as balls, bars or the like could be used.

Moreover, more than two pairs of guide elements may, if desired, be employed. Again, instead of the two rollers or other guide elements of each pair being arranged in the same horizontal plane, they may be offset relatively to one another so as to be in a plane inclined to the horizontal-with one at a slightly higher level than the other. Or individual, in contradistinction to pairs of, fabric-guiding elements may be arranged in a staggered or zigzag relationship at respectively opposite sides of the vertical guide-channel 16 in the wiresteadying component 14 or 15. Thus, in every one of these alternative arrangements, there are gaps 19 between the rollers or other guide elements to permit of penetration therebetween of the marginal edge K of the knitted web, as previously described, but in some cases these gaps will be in line vertically and in other cases the gaps will provide a path of sinuous or labyrinth form. The comparatively thick and stiff selvage wires 10, are in all cases held back in the channels 16 by the fabric-guiding elements.

The two wire-steadying components 14 and are mounted upon a support and guide rail 13 which is carried by the bed frame 1. In this regard, the said rail is either fixed to the frame 1 or is displaceably mounted in an appropriate guicleway. In any event, in a similar way that the wire holders 8 and 9 are adjustable along and adapted to be set in position upon the rod 4, the wire-steadying components 14 and 15 are adjustable and adapted to be secured in the adjusted positions upon the rail 13.

If a flat knitting machine constructed in accordance with this invention is to be used for the production of predominantly large racked patterns, it is advantageous to displace the selvage wires 10, 10 longitudinally of the machine together with the racked needle bed. For this purpose the rod 4 and the rail 13 may conveniently be mounted for displacement longitudinally by virtue of being connected by a common stay (FIG. 1) to the needle bed which is to be racked. The holders 8 and 9 for the selvage wires 10, 10' and the associated wiresteadying components 14 and 15 are then enabled to participate in each racking movement of the needle bed.

The invention is not limited to the particular form of embodiment illustrated in the drawing: all that is essential is that the selvage wires shall extend through steadying components which permit penetration of the margins of a web being knitted but prohibit lateral escape of the wires.

I claim:

1. In a flat knitting machine having two needle beds, a drawoff roller for drawing off a web of fabric knitted on the needles in either or in both needle beds, and elongate fabric width retainers adapted to be arranged at the margins of the web and extending from the needle beds toward the drawoff roller such that yarn being fed to the needles will be looped around the width retainers and the width retainers will tend to prevent a drawing-in of the marginal zones of knitting and tend to enable the web to be wound upon the drawoff roller at its maximum width as knitted, the improvement comprising: means located at least partially on theweb side of, and adjacent to, each width retainer and defining a gap which will permit passage therethrough of the respective margin of a knitted web but which will not permit passage therethrough of the respective width retainer, and means fixing the position of said gap-defining means, whereby the margins of the fabric extend through the respective gaps to their looped connections with the width retainers, and the width retainers are prevented from lateral wandering by said two last mentioned means.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said elongate fabric width retainers comprise selvage wires.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said two lastmentioned means comprise a steadying component adjacent each selvage wire, each steadying component having a guide channel therein through which its associated selvage wire extends, each channel having its open side facing toward the respective fabric margin such that the fabric margin extends into and along the channel, and fabric-guiding elements located adjacent the 0 en side of said channel and spaced from one another to efine said gap, whereby to prevent lateral wandering of said selvage wires and escape thereof from the confines of said guide channels.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said fabric guiding elements comprise rollers.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said knitting machine includes a guide rail, and said steadying components are adjustably mounted thereon.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein said knitting machine includes a guide rod and said selvage wires are coupled thereto for adjustment therealong.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein at least one of said needle beds is capable of being racked, and wherein said guide rail and said guide rod are coupled to said rackable nee dle bed so as to participate in the racking movements thereof.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein each steadying component includes a plurality of pairs of spaced fabric guiding elements.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein the two elements ofeach pair are arranged on a common level. 

1. In a flat knitting machine having two needle beds, a drawoff roller for drawing off a web Of fabric knitted on the needles in either or in both needle beds, and elongate fabric width retainers adapted to be arranged at the margins of the web and extending from the needle beds toward the drawoff roller such that yarn being fed to the needles will be looped around the width retainers and the width retainers will tend to prevent a drawing-in of the marginal zones of knitting and tend to enable the web to be wound upon the drawoff roller at its maximum width as knitted, the improvement comprising: means located at least partially on the web side of, and adjacent to, each width retainer and defining a gap which will permit passage therethrough of the respective margin of a knitted web but which will not permit passage therethrough of the respective width retainer, and means fixing the position of said gap-defining means, whereby the margins of the fabric extend through the respective gaps to their looped connections with the width retainers, and the width retainers are prevented from lateral wandering by said two last mentioned means.
 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said elongate fabric width retainers comprise selvage wires.
 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said two last-mentioned means comprise a steadying component adjacent each selvage wire, each steadying component having a guide channel therein through which its associated selvage wire extends, each channel having its open side facing toward the respective fabric margin such that the fabric margin extends into and along the channel, and fabric-guiding elements located adjacent the open side of said channel and spaced from one another to define said gap, whereby to prevent lateral wandering of said selvage wires and escape thereof from the confines of said guide channels.
 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said fabric guiding elements comprise rollers.
 5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said knitting machine includes a guide rail, and said steadying components are adjustably mounted thereon.
 6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein said knitting machine includes a guide rod and said selvage wires are coupled thereto for adjustment therealong.
 7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein at least one of said needle beds is capable of being racked, and wherein said guide rail and said guide rod are coupled to said rackable needle bed so as to participate in the racking movements thereof.
 8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein each steadying component includes a plurality of pairs of spaced fabric guiding elements.
 9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein the two elements of each pair are arranged on a common level. 